My baby is getting spayed Thursday and I am freaking out!
My Bella is getting spayed Thursday, and I am worrying myself sick about it  . There are a couple of things I am worried about...
1) I have a SUV, so should I carry her in/out of it when I pick her up from the vet? Obviously I can't let her jump. When I pick her up to put her in my car to take her back home from the vet, is there a chance I can rip open her stitches by carrying her? 2) I live in Chicago, so right now, we have almost a foot of snow on the ground and I heard that the stitches cannot get wet. Do you think I should cancel the surgery and wait until the snow melts or is it really not that big of a deal if they get wet??? 3) What would happen if she ended up ripping her stitches out when I am not around (like when I am sleeping)?? 4) We have to climb stairs to get into our house, but I heard they can't climb stairs for 2 weeks. Is that true? If so, will I have to carry her up and down the stairs? Thank you guys for your help and advice  |
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| Hi Bella's mom. I have a Bella too. However, I just had Nigel neutered last Thursday and I feel your pain. They don't usually have too much trouble getting in and out of the car after surgery. (I have a minivan) She will probably be real tired for a day or two. Nigel is such a baby that he has been a real wuss, but he is back to his normal idiotic self now.
If you need to help her in she should still be ok...but you can ask someone in the vets to help you. Females are always stitched afterwards, so she should be ok to get out, but if you are worried, use a stool. They are always a lot sturdier than we think...even if they are our furbabies. |
| First despite your concern it will be ok. Dogs get spayed everyday and do quite well. I know, YOUR dog doesn't get spayed every day but she will be fine.
She should not need to be carried in or out of the Vet's office. They do need to be kept "quite" for the first week or so but walking is ok. Yes I would lift her into the SUV, you don't want her to jump up. Don't cancel the surgery because of snow. You can wipe her belly off when you come inside. If you are really worried put a T shir on her and tie it so that her belly is covered but she can still pee. How MANY stairs? If it is a full flight (13) you may need to carry her, if it's just a couple as with most homes just take it slowly. Complications do occur but they are rare, it is possible she may rip the stitches, ask the Vet for a collar to keep her from chewing the stitiches and keep it on her til the stitches are removes (if she seems to be bothering them). I am sure the Vet will give you very specific aftercare instructions, follow them. You may want to ask the Vet for pain medication to take home, man Vets give it automatically some do not. I think that pain medication should be given for at least a couple days after surgery, longer if is appears uncomfortable. Good Luck |
| Oh, wow. Someone who is even more hysterical than I am!
1) they won't let her go until she is up and walking 2) if they don't, you can always wrap a towel around her and duct tape it (I'll see if I can dig up a picture) I've had three four foster bitches recover from spaying in the last four weeks and I live just north of you and, miraculously, they all survived. You just change the towel daily. (3) With the towel, she can't get to her stitches, so no such worry. Just don't let her do the Indy 500 for a couple of weeks. I never manage more than a week off non-Indy workouts, but did I mention all four are perfectly fine and the last one had her stitches out two days ago. I'm not mocking you. If it were my bitch, I would be hysterical. I know I needn't be, but I would be anyway. It's hard not to. But I have four rescue girls in four weeks who say "not so bad". And ask them for pain meds for her after. You'd be surprised (and concerned!) at how quickly they bounce back. Within 24 hours you are begging them to please, PLEASE slow down. Kristine |
| Oops, I missed the snow part. Call your vet and ask. |
Welcome to the forum. 
Take a deep breath! There now, that's better. Its' only natural to be worried, but she's going to be fine - and so are you.
How old is Bella? Most bitches bounce back from their spay surgeries fairly quickly, especially if they're young. Your vet tech will probably help you load her back into your SUV when you pick her up on Thursday. You lift one end and the vet tech will get the other and she'll be fine. Just be gentle with her.
You do need to keep the stitches dry. But, if they get damp in the snow, you can take a soft dry cloth and pat the area gently when she comes back in from her potty breaks. I'd suggest crating her when you're not around to prevent her from being overly active. That way you'll be sure she's not doing anything to hurt herself accidently. I don't know how many stairs she has to climb to get into your house, but a few won't hurt her doing it 2-3 times a day. The most important thing is just to keep her comfortable. You may find she comes home her same bouncy self, all ready to romp & play. That's when it's hard to keep them calm.
Let us know how it goes.  |
Mad Dog wrote: Oh, wow. Someone who is even more hysterical than I am!
Kristine  |
| I wish I had had pain meds for Nigel...he could have used them for the first 3 days. All is well now, but I agree, ask for some pain meds if you can. |
Thanks so much guys, you totally calmed me down....I cannot wait for the this all to be over  She just turned 6 months old.... |
| she will be fine. a t shirt is useful so they dont nibble stitches. trying to keep them quiet is the hardest! let us know how she is but she will be fine and so will you..honestly. |
The Towel in action (Model: Maggie)
Maggie 2 weeks post spay (see that leaping blur on the right?) 
Kristine  |
| I use a ramp to get my older boys in and out of my Tahoe, the little guys I can still lift. In a pinch you can use a grooming table, just make sure to put it on the bumper thing and not the actual back or the angle will be too steep. Just guide her by having the leash shortened and walking along with her, someone on the other side is even better. |
Tasker's Mom wrote: Mad Dog wrote: Oh, wow. Someone who is even more hysterical than I am! Kristine LOL - that was MY reaction too. |
| I thought Nigel was going to bust a stitch...but my vet used a laser...no stitches. I know, it's different for boys. I always used a t-shirt for my girls too. I would safety pin it between her legs, and take it off for potty time. It always worked great. |
| Good luck to Bella (and you)!
I am the same as you...I always worry-so don't feel bad. (I had tears running down my cheeks when I dropped Guinness off-but the tech was so sweet, she told me that she would call me throughout the day so I knew how he was doing.) Maybe one of them would do that for you too. I also have an SUV and my husband could not come with me when I picked him up, so the the same tech helped me get him in the vehicle. We have a full flight of stairs to go up to our bedroom, so I slept downstairs for a couple of nights with him. He healed so fast--it was just very hard trying to keep him quiet. Before you know it, Bella will be just fine-happy and running everywhere again. Let us know how you both make out! |
| Thanks so much Mad Dog and everyone for that matter for that info! So, question Mad Dog, Maggie wasn't able to get to her sore at all with the towel on her? Did it stay on all day? You probably have to tie the tape pretty hard for it to stay on, right?
Again, thank you so much to EVERYONE for your words of wisdom! I feel a lot more relaxed about this |
BellasMom wrote: Thanks so much MadDog for that info! So, Maggie wasn't able to get to her sore at all with that? Did it stay on all day? You probably have to tie the tape around her pretty hard, huh?
It's duct tape...it has magical properties...the hard part was getting it OFF the towel. Hope you have some old ones you don't mind sacrificing because they well never be the same... And you do have to change it once a day, in part so you can get a good look at the stitches and make sure everything's OK.
Frankly, even electrical tape will do in a pinch. I found this out when Sybil ate the duct tape... 
No one ever got a lick in on the stitches and it saved me having to be rammed in the knees by the much-hated cone. Which Che did have to wear post neuter. Neither one of us wants to remember those days <shudder>.
It keeps everything dry too, as long as they're not laying in the snow. It does help to have two people to do the towel taping job: one to tape, one to hold dog. But one can manage just fine if dog isn't of the bucking/spinning variety (hi, Maggie!! )
Keep us posted. Kristine |
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